


the trunk

by hellchoirs



Series: bad things happen bingo [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Bruises, Conditioning, Emotional Manipulation, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Obsessive Behavior, Physical Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, Unhealthy Relationships, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24542551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellchoirs/pseuds/hellchoirs
Summary: Half of the things he wanted to teach Klaus, Klaus already knew. He hardly needed much training, and it was not difficult to mould The Séance into a puppet on strings from the putty he was in his hands.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves/Original Male Character(s)
Series: bad things happen bingo [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759072
Comments: 18
Kudos: 51





	the trunk

**Author's Note:**

> For the bad things happen prompt: conditioning.  
> This is part of a series! 'why storms are named after people.' It can probably be read as a standalone, but I'd still recommend you read the rest of the series before this!
> 
> Warnings at the end.

It wasn’t hard to train Klaus.

A little while of casual, gentle friendship to make Klaus subconsciously trust him. A few weeks of soft, loving touches and words, and that was all it took to have him wrapped around his finger.  
One would think Klaus was the one obsessed with him, honestly. Always wanting to be touching one another, wanting to be close; it was as if they were inseparable.

Robert loved it.

Klaus was easy to please. Soft touches, loving words, and a high was all he took to keep happy, and he would do anything in return.

Klaus was eager to please.

Even more eager when he was high.

Of course, he was happy with weed, but he still itched for more and he was a different kind of attached when he was properly high, so Robert was more than happy to provide him with drugs; whatever he wanted. He knew where Klaus’ dealers were and when they would be around, of course, so it was easy to find.

Xanax, MDMA, ketamine, cocaine, meth, heroin; whatever he wanted. Though, admittedly, Robert’s favourite had to be MDMA because Klaus took it in large enough doses that it left him mindless, moaning and all over him, physical sensations heightened to the point where he could touch his cheek and Klaus would close his eyes and moan. He would cling to him as if he would die if he let him go. Ketamine left him content and happy or, if he took too much, nearly entirely unresponsive and unmoving and oblivious to the world around him, and heroin made him happy and made him fall asleep and hardly wake up for anything in the world. 

Robert did not like to think about Klaus’ time in the streets much – he knew Klaus whored himself out to random people, and he hated the idea of other people touching Klaus, because Klaus was his – but it left Klaus with very little to no boundaries in terms of their sex life or their relationship. He would try anything in bed even if he obviously didn’t want to, so long as Robert just stroked his cheek and asked him to just try it, the once, or if he told him how he would look so beautiful like that, because he was just so damn eager to please and afraid of upsetting him. And if he still said no, then all Robert had to do was get him high, and he would hardly be aware of him even doing it let alone understand that he had previously been apprehensive about it. He always loved it in the end, anyway.

In terms of their relationship, it made Klaus unquestioning when he left the apartment and locked Klaus in. Klaus wasn’t at all worried nor did he care about the fact that he hadn’t been outside once since the night he came to his apartment. He was perfectly content inside. It made Klaus eager to please and submissive; he backed down in arguments, took the blame on himself, and he never saw Robert as the one in the wrong (not that he ever was anyway.) It left him insecure, too; he sought out reassurance and guidance from him; he relied on Robert entirely.

Robert didn’t need to teach Klaus half of the things he wanted; he already knew it all or he did it already. It was perfect; more than he could have ever imagined.

All Klaus had to do was be pretty and high and Robert would take care of the rest. He loved seeing him so reliant on him, the idea that he would be utterly lost without him; that Robert could singlehandedly re-programme Klaus’ entire head, if he so chose to. Klaus was helpless and stupid and couldn’t do a thing for himself.

God, was Klaus stupid, but in an endearing way. Like a dumb little puppy, he would do a few simple tricks so long as he was rewarded with affection and treats every so often, as if the only thing that mattered in the world was to have his hair stroked and his body pumped full of drugs. 

Having Klaus was almost as intoxicating as the drugs. It was a rush of power to see how Klaus perked up whenever he came back home; to see Klaus struggle to do the simplest of things and need Robert to do them; to see the way his apprehension and resistance melted with a gentle touch on his cheek; to know that Klaus was head over heels for him and completely dependent on him, that the rest of the world couldn’t see him, that he was all his. 

Sometimes, as time passed on, he needed a bit of a… firmer hand, to understand things. Robert loved Klaus, of course, and their time together only strengthened that, but he got to see Klaus in a new light; got to explore more of his body and mind, got to know everything about him and fulfil all his initial wishes and dreams he had reserved for this moment, and then move on to more.  
  
Robert didn’t like that Klaus had whored himself around half the city – hell, the whole city and probably further – before they got together, despised the idea that anyone else had touched him, but that wasn’t their fault. How could they resist, when Robert couldn’t? It was Klaus’ fault for letting those other people touch and taint him. So he simply had to remind Klaus who he belonged to.   
  
Klaus liked rough sex – Klaus liked whatever Robert liked, after all – and so it was easy and addicting to be able to mark him up and see the aftermath; hickeys bruised across his body, black and blue bracelets around his wrists, fingerprints bruises on his hips, his thighs, his waist, his neck. 

Klaus looked magnificent with a black eye.

It hardly took that long until Klaus agreed with him, too. Robert caught him in quiet moments running his fingers over the bruises on his wrists and smiling faintly, or staring at his reflection and ghosting his fingertips over the bruise on his cheekbone or jaw tenderly, fondly. If Robert hit, kicked or punched him, it brought a smile to his face because he understood he wasn’t hurting him; it was because he loved him, and he loved how good Klaus was for him, and he wanted everyone to know who he belonged to, even if Klaus never left the house.

  
The highs numbed most of the pain of it anyway, but even if they didn’t, even if Robert pressed his fingers into a bruise to make him hiss, they both knew it was nothing more than a reminder; the equivalent to a kiss. And he would often go over the bruises with kisses anyway, just to reinforce the idea. 

He didn’t mean to hurt Klaus. That wasn’t the intention, and they both understood that, but god was it dizzying to see Klaus and the bruises and know he did it, and know that Klaus loved it, too. He was half tempted to get something like a collar for him, just to put the cherry on top of the cake and complete that show of ownership, but though Klaus was as dumb as a dog he wasn’t actually an animal. And plus, he liked to see the bruises on his neck imitating a collar instead. 

He understood, now, too, that he did not like that Klaus let other people touch him because he hadn’t had his permission, whether or not he had known he was Robert’s then, but he also understood that maybe it wasn’t exactly fair to keep Klaus all to himself. If Klaus belonged to him, then it was Robert’s decision who got to look at and touch him, and though he had yet to invite anyone to do so, he contemplated it. Plus, Klaus always loved attention anyway; he’s sure he would love it. He would love it if Robert told him to. 

They hardly had arguments. They understood one another and their roles within the relationship. Klaus understood that all he had to do was hand control over to Robert, and that was easy to do; something simple enough that even his little mind could understand it. If they did have arguments, Klaus understood he was in the wrong, and he made it up to him. If Robert did lash out unfairly, if his temper was a little short or he was stressed at work, then he made it up to Klaus too, with highs and kisses and bruises and makeup.  
Klaus loved the makeup. So did Robert.

Eyeliner made his eyes pop, and he loved the way eyeshadow clashed with his pale skin. He loved the mess made with lipstick after kissing him with it on, and he loved how soft it made him look. Matched with the way his hair was growing out since they hadn’t gone out to get it cut, and Klaus’ love for skirts and dresses and feminine things anyway; well, Robert wasn’t interested in women, but it was undeniable how gorgeous Klaus was, embracing his femininity, and the genuine smile that lit his features up when he did his makeup or got Robert to help him when his hands shook too much was something Robert couldn’t resist giving into.

They worked together as perfectly as he had anticipated. It was like heaven. He looked forwards to coming home from work and seeing Klaus, and Klaus looked forwards to seeing him. He didn’t question why he did things, didn’t question him when he told Klaus to do something; he was just putty in his hands, and happy to be so. 

And Robert hardly had to do a thing to make him like that.

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for: Implied rape/non-con, implied drugged sex, physical abuse, drug addiction.  
> If you have any thoughts or feedback, I'm all ears in the comments:)
> 
> Also: a curious question for those following the series: would you be interested in seeing this lead on to the sibling’s finding out about them/to the apocalypse week? Please let me know if you’d be interested in how that would play out:)


End file.
